SWNOVELXO Chapter 180
180th Chapter: Your Master Is Me
As soon as the Mysterious Blood Network’s inner elixir entered my mouth, it melted away like ice cream and disappeared into my stomach.
At the same time, a fiery energy spread throughout my limbs and bones.
It was demonic energy.
The essence of demonic energy accumulated over hundreds of years within the Mysterious Blood Network was now flowing through my blood vessels.
BA-BOOM! BA-BOOM!
The demonic energy was rough and violent, more so than any elixir I had ever consumed. It was enough to rip through my entire body, nearly equating to a dangerously potent medicine.
Unless one was a martial artist who had mastered the Demon Art, it was uncontrollable. The concentration was so thick that it could easily invade the marrow and lead to the Condition of Deterioration Due to Reversing Heaven, turning me into a demon.
In that instant, I chanted the mantra of the Reverse Flow Blood Technique.
The Reverse Flow Blood Technique was the Gongdong Sect Vision’s Reverse Blood Great Method. Originally a method of temporarily unlocking potential, my brother had modified it slightly into a mental discipline for accumulating reverse blood energy.
According to my brother, it was a refinement in preparation for the Demon Sect’s Path, but I never expected it would come in handy in a situation like this.
The power accumulated through the Reverse Flow Blood Technique shares the same nature as demonic energy. Though called a martial art, it was almost indistinguishable from demon arts.
If so, it could certainly be used to control the Mysterious Blood Network’s demonic energy.
As I executed the Reverse Flow Blood Technique, the demonic energy began to surge violently along the pathways of reverse blood.
THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!
My heart pounded heavily. The waves of demonic energy swept over my entire body like a flood, crashing over me.
I bit my lip. The demonic energy was not being controlled properly. If it continued like this, I might slip into the Condition of Deterioration. Of course, I, being a master of Hyeongyeong, could not fall into that condition just due to a single wave of demonic energy.
I had the reins. Now, all I needed to do was push it into the Dantian.
Just as I was thinking this and attempting to control the Reverse Flow Blood Technique with more precision…
“…Dad!”
“Ah, no!”
An ominous voice reached my ears.
What was it? Just as I extended my senses to probe the surroundings, I sensed an object approaching me.
It was Sosumahu.
Sosumahu was breaking free from Heuksaryong’s control and charging toward me.
With Heuksaryong still at its peak, it was unable to resist the unconscious strength displayed by Sosumahu, who bore Hyeongyeong’s physical form. But why here?
‘Could she be drawn by the demonic energy?’
Like the Mysterious Blood Network earlier, was she instinctively attracted to it?
Regardless, it couldn’t happen now. If an external shock hit while I was in the energy circulation…
“Daddy!”
BOOM!
With her words, my consciousness was abruptly cut off.
*
“Ah… O, brother…!”
It was instantaneous.
The girl had slipped out of Heuksaryong’s embrace. Wi Soryeon had exerted all her effort to catch the girl, but it was in vain. Like a superior master, the girl deftly slipped free.
And then she pounced on Lee Cheol-soo.
“No, don’t… Brother! No!”
The world in front of Heuksaryong blurred.
If an external shock was applied while in the energy circulation, it could lead to the Condition of Deterioration or even death.
No matter how skilled one was, there were no exceptions. I had to get her away and provide emergency treatment quickly.
I couldn’t leave Lee Cheol-soo like this. She quickly approached Lee Cheol-soo, who had collapsed to the ground.
THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!
As she got closer, tremors resonated. Qi surged from Lee Cheol-soo’s body. Heuksaryong instinctively realized.
It was demonic energy.
Concentrated demonic energy was rising from Lee Cheol-soo’s body, forming a mist.
Heuksaryong bit his lip.
‘This is my fault.’
He begged for protection. Heuksaryong accepted. Therefore, it was entirely her responsibility.
She needed to resolve it. As Heuksaryong thought this, he pushed through the unpleasant mist of demonic energy toward Lee Cheol-soo, ready to grab the girl clinging to him.
“Ugh?!”
SHRAK!
With a brilliant flash of black light, demonic energy pierced through Heuksaryong’s entire body.
Her body was flung back.
It hurt. But there was no stopping now. Heuksaryong, with trembling hands, struggled to maintain her fading vision and crawled back to grab the girl once more.
SHRAK!
*
“…Ugh.”
My head hurt. I opened my eyes. All around me was just blackness.
I pressed my palms against the ground and stood, looking around. A familiar scene unfolded.
A transparent wall.
Beyond it, I could see a deep blue cosmic space. A starry universe twinkling.
“So this is Hwakyung’s Wall.”
Hwakyung’s Wall.
It was the solid wall I saw when I reached the peak before. I touched the transparent wall.
Unlike last time, the wall, which was as solid as diamond, now had tiny cracks all over it.
I had drawn on my will forcefully several times to swing my sword. Hwakyung is a realm of the Middle Dantian, where one handles will. Using my will against my own volition, it’s no surprise that the wall weakened.
Still, Hwakyung’s Wall stood firm.
As I touched Hwakyung’s Wall, I pondered.
“Why am I here?”
This is my Mind’s World.
Clearly, I had lost consciousness while controlling the Mysterious Blood Network’s demonic energy with the Reverse Flow Blood Technique, suddenly knocked out by Sosumahu charging at me.
It must have been at least the Condition of Deterioration, yet here I was in my Mind’s World.
“It’s because of me.”
Just then…
A voice came from behind me. I turned my head.
There she was.
A girl, about 14 years old, with dull grayish hair, ruby-red eyes, and pale skin, strikingly beautiful.
Sosumahu.
“Sosumahu?”
“Did you recognize my true identity? Ah, yes. I am Sosumahu, or rather, Cheonma Baek Rijiak.”
Sosumahu approached me, revealing her true name.
“Why are you here?”
“If you’re worried about your flesh, rest assured. You haven’t fallen into the Condition of Deterioration.”
“I’m aware of that. If I’d entered the Condition, there would have been abnormalities in my Mind’s World. Everything seems fine, right?”
I shrugged.
Sosumahu now appeared as if she had regained her proper memory, not in her 102-year-old child mode.
Her appearance in my Mind’s World suggested one of two possibilities:
First, she was an NPC-like entity created by my subconscious.
Second, she was the real Sosumahu.
While typically impossible to intrude into another’s Mind’s World without special spells or measures, Sosumahu was an exception.
Due to the spell and gold restriction cast on her, she currently regarded me as her master.
Calling me ‘dad’ was not merely a term; it implied that our souls were connected through the spell.
When Sosumahu sensed the demonic energy in my body and crashed into me, our energies resonated, strengthening the connection between our souls, allowing her to invade my Mind’s World.
“So, what do you want to say, Sosumahu?”
“With no brain and just an overly confident novice, how dare you carelessly utter my former alias! You have guts.”
“Get to the point.”
I looked at Sosumahu and pressed my temples.
This is why masters can be troublesome.
They take too long with introductions and have inflated egos. I preferred the 102-year-old child version; she was much cuter.
“I shall extend my special assistance. If you accept my offer.”
“What sort of deal?”
“Release the gold restriction placed upon my body. I want to cease the mockery of my stature as ‘Dad’… Mother… Let’s put an end to demeaning expressions like that. Forget those memories. If you do, I shall personally teach you and guide you along the path of an extraordinary master.”
Sosumahu raised a hand. A white qi blossomed from her delicate fingers.
It was the Sosu Demon Art, one of the supreme martial arts that had placed her in the throne of Cheonma and ranked her among the best in the Demon Sect.
“Though I am part of the New Religion and you the Orthodox Faction, it’s an opportunity to receive the teachings of a master of Hyeongyeong. Don’t let useless pride hold you back; obediently follow my commands.”
Sosumahu smiled. An extreme chill reminiscent of a blizzard swept from her.
The black space began to freeze. An icy sensation crept into my bones.
I furrowed my brow.
Her proposal had merit.
If she, a master of Hyeongyeong, were to teach me, surely I could accelerate my ascent to Hwakyung.
But…
What was the point of it all?
If Sosumahu hadn’t sensed the demonic energy and crashed into me in the first place, none of this would have happened.
“You pushed me into the Condition of Deterioration, then now you want to offer your teachings and ask for my cooperation?”
“That was an unfortunate accident. My current state is not optimal. You’re not thinking of mocking me, a child, now, are you?”
Sosumahu pouted, appearing somewhat embarrassed. A freezing wind surged around her.
“No. It’s just that I’m not fond of it. I’m your master now.”
“Yo-Your master?! What do you mean by that? Hmph. You don’t expect me to call you ‘Dad’ like in reality, do you?”
Sosumahu’s face turned red with surprise.
What kind of strange imagination did she have? This was absurd.
“No. I don’t have that kind of bizarre interest in calling a nearly 108-year-old senior ‘Dad.’ I’m not a demon, you know.”
Such a mindset was typical of mad freaks like Hyulma.
“Wha-What do you mean ‘108 years old’?!”
Upon hearing my words, Sosumahu snapped.
‘108 years old’ refers to the term Cha-su (茶壽), meaning 108.
Seeing her visibly agitated at that remark, it seemed Sosumahu’s actual age was indeed 108.
I suspected she was at least 102, yet I hadn’t expected her to be six years older than the 102-year-old Sinseung.
“Anyway, I can reach Hwakyung’s stage without you. And secondly, you’re mistaken. I’m not some unparalleled master.”
As I looked at Sosumahu, I gathered my will. Gyuhwabojeon synced with my will and surged from my Dantian.
Along with it, the blizzard swept through the black space.
The world resonated with my intentions.
From behind me, a giant ice tree sprouted, stretching branches and blooming snowflowers.
[One Piece of Ice Heart]
The forbidden Mind’s Martial Arts sealed away awakened, freezing the entire world.
WHOOOOOOOSH!
The blizzard swirling from the air engulfed Sosumahu.
“Ugh?! Y-You’re not just an ordinary brat…!!”
Sosumahu swung her Sosu Demon Art in desperation, but this was my Mind’s World.
And I had transcended to a realm where willpower could manipulate the Mind freely, part of Hyeongyeong.
Unless facing a greater master, like Hyulma, who was the most perverted among historical figures, I would never lose in my Mind’s World.
In this frozen moment of eternal winter, I strolled leisurely, gazing down at the frozen Sosumahu up to her neck.
“Well then, let’s restart our negotiations.”
Grrrrhh…
At my words, Sosumahu bit her delicate lower lip. She shut her eyes tight like a knight captured by orcs.
In that case…
She should have known better than to bite off more than she could chew.